The invention relates to a portable keyboard, and particularly to a portable keyboard that enables touch typing with both hands.
Handheld computers and other handheld electronic devices are becoming increasingly popular. These devices are held in the palm of the hand and typically run applications that store calendar and contact information, access the Internet or wireless telephone systems, or do word processing and the like. Such applications require the entry of numbers and text into the device.
Handheld electronic devices typically include a small keyboard for entering numbers and text. The keyboard has miniaturized keys laid out in a standard QWERTY arrangement. xe2x80x9cQWERTYxe2x80x9d refers to the most commonly used arrangement of keys on a keyboard and is named after the arrangement of letters in the left-hand corner of the keyboard. Because of their small size, the keys require xe2x80x9chunt and peckxe2x80x9d typing with a single finger or a stylus. In either case, touch typing is impossible and data input is slow and tedious.
Some handheld devices include keyboards which eliminate keys to reduce size. Such keyboards require a xe2x80x9cchordingxe2x80x9d system wherein two or more keys must be simultaneously pressed to generate keystrokes for the eliminated keys. Chording systems also do not enable touch typing and data input is slow.
Folding keyboards for handheld devices are also known. These keyboards open to form a full-sized keyboard similar to conventional keyboards used with desktop computers. Although these keyboards do allow touch typing, the keyboard must be supported on a flat work surface or table during use.
Thus, there is a need for an improved portable keyboard for use with handheld electronic devices. The improved keyboard should enable touch typing for the quick and efficient input of data, be compact, and should be usable without the need for additional external support during use.
The present invention is directed to an improved keyboard for use with handheld electronic devices. The improved keyboard is compact, enables touch typing for the quick and efficient input of data, and is usable without the need for additional external support during use.
A keyboard having features of the present invention includes a left-hand keypad having a first array of keys on one side of the keyboard and a right-hand keypad having a second array of keys on the opposite side of the keyboard. The array of keys on the left-hand keypad includes left-hand QWERTY keys and the array of keys on the right-hand keypad includes right-hand QWERTY keys. Both arrays of keys are configured to enable touch typing with the hand associated with the keypad. The keyboard is held in the palm of the hand with the fingers of that hand facing the keys of the keypad associated for touch typing on that keypad. The other hand touch types on the other keypad. The hands substantially oppose one another and type on opposite sides of the keyboard with the keyboard held between them.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention the right-hand keypad is held in the palm of the left hand and includes a body that supports the keyboard against the palm and left forearm. The fingers on the left hand overlie the keys on the left-hand keypad. The keys on the right-hand keypad face upwardly away from the palm for typing with the right hand. The left and right keypads are movable relative each other to adjustably place the left and right hands of the typist in a comfortable cross-handed touch typing position. The right-hand keypad may also duplicate the keys on the left-hand keypad to enable xe2x80x9chunt-and-peckxe2x80x9d typing of all characters with the right hand.
In another such embodiment, the right-hand keypad includes a foldable keypad extension. The keypad extension can include a mouse attachment portion for attaching a portable mouse as a pointing device or the keyboard itself can include a mouse pointing device such as a touch-sensitive mouse panel.
In yet another such embodiment the right-hand keypad includes foldable keypad portions that preferably extend along the forearm when opened. When closed, the keypad portions overlie one another. The outermost keyboard portion includes an array of keys that face outwardly when the keyboard is closed. The keyboard can form part of a wireless telephone, with the outermost keyboard portion including the keys found on a conventional telephone numeric keypad and the other keypad portions including letter keys. When the right-hand keypad is closed, the numeric keypad is accessible for dialing the phone. For text input, as when accessing the Internet, the right-hand keyboard is opened and the entire right-hand keypad is accessible for touch typing with the right hand.
Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, of which there are eight sheets of seven embodiments.